How Even Entry-Level Employees Can Make Their Companies Great Places to Work

Do you love your company? For most of us, at some point in our career, the answer will be a resounding “no.” Obviously, this is even more common when you’re just starting out. As an entry-level employee, you have much less control over your work environment than veteran staff members. But there things you can do, even when you’re a relative newbie.

Alan Henry at Lifehacker has a great breakdown of how to make your workplace better from any level — entry, middle management, and executive. For now, though, let’s just look at his recommendations for the little guy.

1. Make yourself happier. If you’re constantly gossiping around the water cooler, never taking any vacations, or just plain don’t have the coping skills to deal with stress well, you might want to check out this list of ways to love the job you’re with.

2. Talk to your manager. If it’s definitely them, not you, the first step is to talk to your boss. Offer a solution (a team potluck, a company outing), not another problem (more whining with no suggestions as to how to fix things).

3. Connect with your colleagues. Find ways to break down the social barriers between you and your work neighbors. Henry suggests a chili cook-off, which is awesome because a) friendly competition is a great way to get people chatting, and b) chili.

4. Organize. Before you go all Norma Rae, make sure your colleagues are on board, and stick to small suggestions first — the aforementioned chili cook-off, a quiet space to work or eat lunch, etc.

Tell Us What You Think

We want to hear from you! Is it possible to change your company from the bottom up? Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter, using the hashtag #MakeItHappen.

Jen Hubley Luckwaldt

Jen Hubley Luckwaldt writes about work-life balance, stress management, and other topics relating to what makes us happy at work. A full-time freelancer, she deals with stress by blurring the lines between life and work to the point where the two spheres are barely separate. The happiest day of her career was when scientists proved that looking at pictures of cute animals makes us more productive.